The High Court has ruled that Ryanair cannot sue the Italian competition authority, AGCM, in Ireland over a search of its Dublin headquarters as it lacks jurisdiction, dismissing the airline’s case against the AGCM.
The search on Ryanair’s Airside offices near Dublin Airport was conducted by 30 officers, including some from AGCM, following complaints from Italian travel agency associations and a consumer association regarding alleged anti-competitive practices by Ryanair through its online ticket sales system.
Ryanair denied the allegations and brought proceedings in Ireland, challenging the validity of the search warrant obtained by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and seeking to declare the seized material as tainted by illegality.
The High Court found that the Ryanair case falls under an EU regulation governing jurisdiction in civil and commercial matters and ruled in favor of AGCM’s request to dismiss the proceedings against them for lack of jurisdiction, with further proceedings against CCPC to be addressed in the coming months.
